--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I feel like for me to write songs that I…" description: "\"I feel like for me to write songs that I would be interested in as a listener, there has to be tension, and there has to be some kind of push and pull ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e70/jason-isbell-3520_disaster_i-feel-like-for-me-to-write-songs-that-i_2480564.jpg" --- # I feel like for me to write songs that I would be… ![“I feel like for me to write songs that I would be interested in as a listener, there has to be tension, and there has to be some kind of push and pull between reality and the potential of disaster.” quote by Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e70/jason-isbell-3520_disaster_i-feel-like-for-me-to-write-songs-that-i_2480564.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e70/jason-isbell-3520_disaster_i-feel-like-for-me-to-write-songs-that-i_2480564.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e70/jason-isbell-3520_disaster_i-feel-like-for-me-to-write-songs-that-i_2480564.jpg) > “I feel like for me to write songs that I would be interested in as a listener, there has to be tension, and there has to be some kind of push and pull between reality and the potential of disaster.” [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes songwriting as balancing tension between reality and disaster to engage listeners **In simple terms:** Songs need tension and contrast to be compelling Key Takeaway Incorporate conflict and resolution in your writing Themes creativity conflict artistic tension Mood reflective introspective Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - Writing a new album - live performance - studio session Key Concepts Narrative tension emotional contrast song structure Questions to Reflect On - How much tension feels authentic to you? - When does conflict become gratuitous? A Different Perspective Too much tension can alienate audiences ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [Motivational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivational/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Tension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tension/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I just try to keep making good records, try to write songs the best way I can and take my job seriously. Like most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/i-just-try-to-keep-making-good-records-try-to-write-songs-the-best/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I write songs now I look at my strengths and I start there. In The Walkmen, we'd start with the live stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamilton-leithauser/i-write-songs-now-i-look-at-my-strengths-and-i-start-there-in-the/) [Hamilton Leithauser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamilton-leithauser/) > [I think sometimes - not always - I write songs that are accessible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/i-think-sometimes-not-always-i-write-songs-that-are-accessible/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [I really like telling stories. When I was a kid, I wanted to write songs. In quite a fundamental, gratifying, childish way, I enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bettany/i-really-like-telling-stories-when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-write/) [Paul Bettany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bettany/) > [It was a lot easier to write songs before I had a record deal, because the record labels and the industry doesn't mean to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashton-shepherd/it-was-a-lot-easier-to-write-songs-before-i-had-a-record-deal-because/) [Ashton Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashton-shepherd/) > [It's a gift that I have and I became good at it. When I heard my first song I didn't even know that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rico-love/it-s-a-gift-that-i-have-and-i-became-good-at-it-when-i-heard-my-first/) [Rico Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rico-love/) > [Sometimes, but the year I lived in France I started to write songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/sometimes-but-the-year-i-lived-in-france-i-started-to-write-songs/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [You can't get a better education in what it is to write songs until you listen to American soul music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roisin-murphy/you-can-t-get-a-better-education-in-what-it-is-to-write-songs-until/) [Roisin Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roisin-murphy/) > [The last thing you want to do is write songs about being in a band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-berninger/the-last-thing-you-want-to-do-is-write-songs-about-being-in-a-band/) [Matt Berninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-berninger/) > [I write songs from the heart, and I don't hold back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mvula/i-write-songs-from-the-heart-and-i-don-t-hold-back/) [Laura Mvula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mvula/) > [I don't really write songs anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-vernon/i-don-t-really-write-songs-anymore/) [Justin Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-vernon/) > [I wanted to write songs that were as good as the covers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/i-wanted-to-write-songs-that-were-as-good-as-the-covers/) [George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) > [I want to write songs that are so sad, the kind of sad where you take someone's little finger and break it in three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/i-want-to-write-songs-that-are-so-sad-the-kind-of-sad-where-you-take/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [What I hope is to really focus on being a songwriter. I'd love to write songs for other people; that's something I'd really like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinead-o-connor/what-i-hope-is-to-really-focus-on-being-a-songwriter-i-d-love-to/) [Sinead O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinead-o-connor/) > [I don't know what makes a guy want to write songs and sing, but if you've got a message, you want to get it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ledoux/i-don-t-know-what-makes-a-guy-want-to-write-songs-and-sing-but-if-you/) [Chris LeDoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ledoux/) ## More by Jason Isbell > [Whatever needed to be done, I need to know how to do it just as well as my wife. You know, for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/whatever-needed-to-be-done-i-need-to-know-how-to-do-it-just-as-well/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [The Police could get away with doing an entire record with really no audible reverb, which I have always admired and thought would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/the-police-could-get-away-with-doing-an-entire-record-with-really-no/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I think great songs appeal to people at any age. Kids love the Beatles, too. Kids love Tom T. Hall. Of course, Tom T.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/i-think-great-songs-appeal-to-people-at-any-age-kids-love-the-beatles/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [Democracy can tie your hands in a rock 'n' roll band, you know? It can be a great thing, but if you've got a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/democracy-can-tie-your-hands-in-a-rock-n-roll-band-you-know-it-can-be/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [If you're the person whose problems were solved when you were born, your job is to try and help the people who aren't in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/if-you-re-the-person-whose-problems-were-solved-when-you-were-born/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I like not having to worry about paying the bills, but I have to watch myself because I don't come from money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/i-like-not-having-to-worry-about-paying-the-bills-but-i-have-to-watch/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [A lot of people in Nashville think that the best song is the catchiest or the one that sells the most copies. They're editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/a-lot-of-people-in-nashville-think-that-the-best-song-is-the/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [The world changes fast, and a lot of the old country folks have a hard time keeping up with it, and it makes them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/the-world-changes-fast-and-a-lot-of-the-old-country-folks-have-a-hard/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [The more you read, the better you are at writing, no matter what you're writing. A lot of songwriters miss that and don't see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/the-more-you-read-the-better-you-are-at-writing-no-matter-what-you-re/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [The idea of growing up in the South and being a man is an interesting thing; there's a lot masculinity involved, with hunting, fishing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/the-idea-of-growing-up-in-the-south-and-being-a-man-is-an-interesting/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I don't think I'm a country artist, really. I'm a country person, but I don't think I'm necessarily a country singer or musician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/i-don-t-think-i-m-a-country-artist-really-i-m-a-country-person-but-i/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I like those kinds of songs that have details that you remember and that have stories that mean something and that open up into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/i-like-those-kinds-of-songs-that-have-details-that-you-remember-and/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [Man, that Jim Lauderdale always looks good - he's got more western suits than anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/man-that-jim-lauderdale-always-looks-good-he-s-got-more-western-suits/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I'm not a big AA guy, but I'll go every once in a while. They do tell you that going out and helping other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/i-m-not-a-big-aa-guy-but-i-ll-go-every-once-in-a-while-they-do-tell/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [My dad, he worries a bit, usually with good reason. There were quite a few years there where he was probably trying to resign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/my-dad-he-worries-a-bit-usually-with-good-reason-there-were-quite-a/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) [Explore all 128 Jason Isbell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) ## More Disaster quotes > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [One of the undervalued contributors to Trump's stunning 2016 victory was the masterful performance Pence had in his debate against Hillary Clinton running mate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mollie-hemingway/one-of-the-undervalued-contributors-to-trump-s-stunning-2016-victory/) [Mollie Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mollie-hemingway/) > [You know, we can't beat ISIS. We can't do anything. We can't take care of our vets. We can't have good health care. "Obama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/you-know-we-can-t-beat-isis-we-can-t-do-anything-we-can-t-take-care/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [My mind shrank from the menace sweeping down on us, as children's do from belief in death and misfortune, vainly clinging to the fancy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-pankhurst/my-mind-shrank-from-the-menace-sweeping-down-on-us-as-children-s-do/) [Sylvia Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-pankhurst/) > [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [You can't have people making decisions about the future of the world who are scientifically illiterate. That's a recipe for disaster. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-can-t-have-people-making-decisions-about-the-future-of-the-world/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“She was—of course—perfectly normal— quiet and polite and reasonably intelligent and...normal and self destructive and lonely and terrified of every thing And she loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tah-the-trickster/she-was-of-course-perfectly-normal-quiet-and-polite-and-reasonably/) Tah the Trickster > [Obviously, it's my goal to be the top scorer in the Bundesliga, but it wouldn't be a disaster if I didn't achieve that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-gomez/obviously-it-s-my-goal-to-be-the-top-scorer-in-the-bundesliga-but-it/) [Mario Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-gomez/) > [Yes, life in Chechnya so far looks more like a life after a natural disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/yes-life-in-chechnya-so-far-looks-more-like-a-life-after-a-natural/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [Even disasters -- there are always disasters when you travel -- can be turned into adventures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/even-disasters-there-are-always-disasters-when-you-travel-can-be/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [We are always just one successful terrorist attack away from a nuclear disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/we-are-always-just-one-successful-terrorist-attack-away-from-a/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [WHANGDEPOOTENAWAH, n. In the Ojibwa tongue, disaster; an unexpected affliction that strikes hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/whangdepootenawah-n-in-the-ojibwa-tongue-disaster-an-unexpected/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Architects mostly work for privileged people, people who have money and power, Power and money are invisible, so people hire us to visualize their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-ban/architects-mostly-work-for-privileged-people-people-who-have-money/) [Shigeru Ban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-ban/) > [The only aspect of our travels that is interesting to others is disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-gellmanmartha-gellman/the-only-aspect-of-our-travels-that-is-interesting-to-others-is/) Martha GellmanMartha Gellman [Browse all 2,239 Disaster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I feel like for me to write songs that I would be interested in as a listener, there has to be tension, and there has to be some kind of push and pull between reality and the potential of disaster.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jason Isbell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/i-feel-like-for-me-to-write-songs-that-i-would-be-interested-in-as-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Disaster" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/i-feel-like-for-me-to-write-songs-that-i-would-be-interested-in-as-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e70/jason-isbell-3520_disaster_i-feel-like-for-me-to-write-songs-that-i_2480564.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e70/jason-isbell-3520_disaster_i-feel-like-for-me-to-write-songs-that-i_2480564.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e70/jason-isbell-3520_disaster_i-feel-like-for-me-to-write-songs-that-i_2480564.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I feel like for me to write songs that I would be interested in as a listener, there has to be tension, and…” — Jason Isbell", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jason Isbell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I feel like for me to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/i-feel-like-for-me-to-write-songs-that-i-would-be-interested-in-as-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/i-feel-like-for-me-to-write-songs-that-i-would-be-interested-in-as-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```